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Irondale Mayor James Stewart, Jr. cited Martin Luther King Jr. as justification for protecting illegal immigrants and pledged funds to train activists to track ICE agents. However, his actions may prompt federal blowback, as Alabama’s senior senator warned the mayor he “won’t like me very much” if he follows through.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. — who is also running to succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey this year — warned Stewart that the Democrat will have no such luck circumventing the feds.

“When I’m governor, Alabama will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to rogue mayors trying to go around federal law,” Tuberville, the ex-Auburn football coach, told Fox News Digital.

“Like it or not, federal law says that illegal immigrants must be deported. If mayors don’t like that, they should run for Congress.”

ANTI-ICE LEGISLATION HEADS TO DESK OF RISING STAR DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR, TESTING HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS

Fox News Digital reached out to Stewart’s office after he said in his February mayoral newsletter that “watching ICE operations tear families apart in Irondale highlights the urgent need to address immigration policies affecting our community, which brings me back to King’s final speech, the one where he said he’d seen the Promised Land but might not get there.”

“I understand that now. This may be my last term. But I still have to do God’s will. Every single day. When Dr. King said, ‘I just want to do God’s will’ the night before they killed him, it brings me to tears. Because I know what that means now,” Stewart said.

Stewart said ICE operations are “following the same pattern” King described in his letter from jail in Birmingham, adjacent to Irondale.

Tuberville further took issue with reporting from Alabama news outlet 1819 News – so named for the state’s founding year – that Irondale has contracted with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) to aid programs such as a “warning system to track [ICE] agents at the behest of the city’s mayor.”

In that regard, Stewart said in his newsletter his King-inspired work is not done while “families who built this community are being hunted.”

Days after Stewart’s newsletter publication, knife-wielding Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Ba-Ruiz was arrested and charged Monday by the Justice Department for assaulting an ICE agent in the Birmingham area.

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR AVOIDS QUESTION ON OPPOSING OBAMA-ERA IMMIGRATION POLICY NOW PUSHED BY TRUMP

In comments to Fox News Digital, Ivey backed up Tuberville, saying Montgomery will always work with DHS:

“Unlike Minnesota, in Alabama, we enforce the law,” Ivey said.

“We are proud to work with ICE to do just that: Enforce the laws and protect our citizens from criminals and lawbreakers.”

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While Stewart did not respond to Fox News Digital by publication time, he told Fox’s Birmingham affiliate that Irondale is not a sanctuary city and will not hide criminals from the law, and then claimed he won’t actually interfere with ICE operations.

“A lot of the things that we see now are the things that were going on 300 to 400 years ago,” he told the outlet. “We want to be a law-abiding city, but we also know our role.”

Businessman Rick Caruso, who last month announced that he would not seek elected office after an unsuccessful run against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, indicated this week that he is reconsidering in light of new allegations that Bass pushed for a report on the Palisades Fire to be watered down.

Caruso, who lost the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral contest to Bass, slammed the mayor in a Wednesday post on X.

“Today’s @latimes report is an absolute outrage. Karen Bass actively covered up a report meant to examine the most significant disaster in Los Angeles history. When it comes to life safety matters, this is no longer a matter of making poor judgement, apologizing and moving forward,” Caruso asserted in the post. 

PALISADES FIRE DISASTER PUSHES RING TO CLOSE CRITICAL GAPS IN EMERGENCY VISIBILITY

“This is a complete loss of public trust and an intentional act of covering up the actions that led to people dying. Everyone should read this article and consider what action is warranted. She has completely failed us,” he added.

In a statement issued last month, Caruso had said that he “decided not to pursue elected office at this time.”

But he indicated to KTTV on Wednesday that he was reconsidering based on the Los Angeles Times report.

Asked if he was reconsidering his decision, Caruso told the outlet that he was “certainly thinking about it.”

Asked if it was the article on Wednesday that made him reconsider, he said, “Yeah, yeah. Because incompetence is one thing. But it’s very different to mix incompetence, and now you’ve got somebody who is actively lying to the people that she has sworn to serve,” Caruso said.

TRUMP VOWS TO BLOCK LOW-INCOME HOUSING IN PACIFIC PALISADES: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN’

Sources reportedly told the Times that two individuals close to the mayor informed them about Bass’ part in watering down the fire report. The newspaper noted that one source claimed to have spoken with both individuals, while the other source claimed to have spoken with one of the individuals. The Times reported that one person asserted to one of the sources that “the mayor didn’t tell the truth when she said she had nothing to do with changing the report.”

The mayor’s office blasted the Times’ report in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Mayor Bass has been unequivocal for months — she reviewed an early draft of the report and only asked the LAFD to make sure it was accurate on issues like weather and budget. She and her staff made no changes to the drafts,” the statement provided to Fox News Digital asserted.

TRUMP BYPASSES CALIFORNIA’S ‘NIGHTMARE’ BUREAUCRACY TO UNLOCK $3.2B FOR WILDFIRE SURVIVORS

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“The Mayor has been clear about her concerns regarding pre-deployment and the LAFD’s response to the fire, which is why there is new leadership at LAFD and why she called for an independent review of the Lachman Fire mop-up. There is absolutely no reason why she would request those details be altered or erased when she herself has been critical of the response to the fire – full stop,” Bass’ office added. “She has said this for months.”

“This is muckraking journalism at its lowest form. It is dangerous and irresponsible for Los Angeles Times reporters to rely on third hand unsourced information to make unsubstantiated character attacks to advance a narrative that is false,” the statement added.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to kneecap sanctuary cities and provide more stringent protections for federal agents in a sweeping package designed to push back against disruptions to the Trump administration’s immigration operations. 

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., plans to introduce his Protect America Act, a colossal legislative package that would punish sanctuary cities, enhance penalties for illegal entry and reentry, boost protections for federal agents, and defund “corrupt” nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), or nonprofits. 

The goal of the package is to cut into the unrest simmering in cities across the country where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are operating. 

SENATOR CALLS OUT ‘GRASSROOTS’ ANTI-ICE GROUPS, URGES DOJ INVESTIGATION INTO ‘COORDINATED NATIONAL OPERATION’

Schmitt’s legislation comes as anti-ICE protests continue around the country, most notably in Minneapolis, where agitators have clashed with federal agents, resulting in the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

“This environment demands action,” Schmitt said in a statement. “The Protect America Act is a comprehensive, four-part legislative response designed to address the root causes of disorder, restore lawful enforcement authority, protect federal officers from coordinated interference and violence, and prevent the abuse of nonprofit status to shield or support criminal activity.”

SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS

The package would condition federal funding to sanctuary cities based on cooperation with ICE and federal law enforcement. Cities that don’t comply would lose their funding completely. 

It would also require that jails and detention centers coordinate with ICE to share the identity, immigration status and release timing for detainees, allow people to sue for civil liabilities if a “removable alien” is knowingly released within a sanctuary city and commits a serious crime, and halt new foreign student visas until jurisdictions comply with federal immigration law.

In a bid to bolster protections for federal agents, the package would close loopholes that allow people to use whistles or other devices to interfere with officers’ communications, impose penalties of up to five years in prison for people who obstruct federal agents’ duties, ensure that the First Amendment protections explicitly state that the “act does not prohibit expressive content or lawful expressive conduct,” and make assaulting a federal agent a federal criminal offense. 

GOP SENATOR JABS JEFFRIES AS ‘BUTT HURT’ OVER TRUMP-SCHUMER DEAL

Schmitt’s legislation would also strengthen penalties for illegal entry and reentry into the country by ending catch-and-release and mandating detention, make illegal entry a felony, and boost penalties for illegal reentry to include fines and up to two years in prison. 

The fourth prong seeks to de-fang NGOs by revoking the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit that promotes, incites, or provides material support for criminal violence.

His legislative package comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and congressional Democrats offered their own, competing list of demands meant to rein in DHS and ICE, which they are demanding be considered and codified in exchange for their support of the now-sidelined Homeland Security funding bill.

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Schmitt and Senate Republicans haven’t taken well to many of the proposals from their counterparts, notably requiring ICE agents to get judicial warrants, de-masking federal agents and requiring full identification when in the field. 

“My view is we’re not doing any of this stuff until, unless, we end sanctuary city status, because that’s what’s causing all of this, is the lack of cooperation,” Schmitt said. “It’s the confrontations that are being created, and why you don’t see this in blue or red jurisdictions that aren’t sanctuary status. So this solution is very obvious. I think there’s a political grandstanding on their part.”

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem deployed to the northern and southern borders in a single day this week as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement across the country. Despite increased criticism following the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota, Noem told Fox News Digital that the department would not be deterred by sanctuary politicians from doing the work of getting dangerous illegal aliens off the streets.

“I think people would want less conflict,” Noem told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview in Nogales, Ariz., this week. “They also want to know that we’re enforcing our laws and that we are going after dangerous criminals. And they don’t want them to be released on the streets to perpetuate more crimes. So we’re going to continue to do our work and follow through on what President Trump promised.”

“We won’t be deterred by local elected officials that just want to create conflict,” the secretary added. “We’re going to continue to protect the American people and make sure that we have the opportunity to go after those dangerous illegal aliens and remove them.” 

The secretary’s remarks come as border czar Tom Homan announced an immediate drawdown of 700 personnel from Minnesota, effective Wednesday. Homan cited improved cooperation with the jails, though 2,000 officers will still remain in the state. Homan stressed that a complete drawdown was the goal but said that was “contingent upon the end of illegal and threatening activities against ICE.” 

LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT ‘WAVER’ ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH

Anti-ICE agitators in Minnesota have been targeting street enforcement operations and demonstrations have escalated in the wake of the shootings of Good and Pretti. Good was killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a confrontation on Jan. 7, and Pretti was shot by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 during an enforcement operation. 

As Minnesota leadership has demanded federal immigration authorities leave the state, Noem painted the crackdown on illegal immigration as one aimed at protecting Americans, not creating political conflicts.

President Donald Trump rejected calls to fire Noem while addressing the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. He cited the “strongest border in the history of our country” in defending the secretary.

While speaking with Fox News Digital in Nogales, a city that is located just over the U.S.-Mexico border, Noem pointed at the rhetoric coming from state leadership as a catalyst behind the intensifying resistance from the public in Minnesota. Noem also said that the operations in cities with cooperative officials have gone over smoother, offering Memphis, Tenn., as an example.

“Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, have an opportunity to do the same thing that Memphis did. There we had a Democrat mayor who worked with us. It was about the same size a city, about the same amount of federal law enforcement officers were there, and we dramatically cut crime and murder rates and partnered well together,” Noem said.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. And the way that it has been in Minneapolis is largely due to the rhetoric and the actions of the leadership there because they won’t partner with the federal government to enforce the law,” she added.

NOEM SLAMS DEMS, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR LACKING ‘COMPASSION’ AMID ANTI-ICE TENSIONS

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are among the most vocal critics of the Trump administration’s tactics.

Noem told Fox News Digital that she believes Homan is “working” to get local officials “to come to the table and work with us,” particularly on investigations of alleged fraud schemes tied to the Somali community. The secretary alleged that Walz and Frey “have perpetuated and allowed fraud to an unprecedented amount in Minneapolis.” 

“Tens of billions of dollars [were] stolen from the American people and from vulnerable people who needed those services and allowed to go into criminals’ pockets. So, of course, they don’t want any law enforcement there,” Noem said, adding that Walz and Frey were allegedly aiming to block Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigators from “getting to the bottom of how widespread that fraud was.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz and Frey for comment.

Noem said the Trump administration’s approach reflects what she says Americans want: less crime and more law enforcement.

“Every day we’re finding terrorists and removing them from our country, protecting our our cybersecurity systems, our critical infrastructure,” she said.

DHS SECRETARY NOEM STANDS BY BODY CAMERA REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS FOLLOWING TRUMP COMMENTS

Noem said the people in Nogales were “thrilled” with the results of the administration’s immigration crackdown, saying locals got “their way of life back.” She added that former President Joe Biden’s policies were “devastating” for the area.

Noem also spoke about DHS’s efforts to block drugs from flowing through the country, something she said was a “crisis” under Biden.

“Well, we’re here in Nogales, which under Joe Biden’s policies, was a humanitarian crisis. In fact, through here was well known as a large drug trafficking area. They have a highway near here that is named ‘Cocaine Highway’ because the cartels moved so much drugs through here that was killing off the next generation of Americans,” the secretary said.

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Despite mounting criticism, Noem touted the department’s accomplishments, including the large numbers of deportations, both ones carried out by law enforcement and ones that occurred through “self-deportation.” She noted that the administration was incentivizing more self deportations by offering free flights and $2,600 payments.

Noem also touched on the subject of DHS funding, which has been a source of tension between Democrats and Republicans. The debate over funding the department has the potential to spark another government shutdown. The secretary told Fox News Digital that just 11% of the DHS budget is allocated to ICE, while the rest goes to FEMA, TSA and other agencies under the department. 

Despite the ongoing fighting over the funding, Noem said she is “hopeful” that Congress will recognize that DHS funding goes to more than immigration enforcement and that the bill would be passed “quickly.”

Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Progressive rising star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, spent over $120,000 on luxury hotels, transportation and private security services over the course of 2025.

Federal Election Commission filings for Crockett, who has referred to President Donald Trump as a “slick con man” only concerned about pleasing the rich, show she sank just over $124,000 from her House and Senate campaign funds on luxury lodging, high-end transportation and private security in 2025.

Crockett spent $32,685.58 on luxury hotels alone. In the final quarter of 2025, as Crockett launched her Senate campaign, which she framed as a fight for the people against a “system of greed,” she spent $11,841.27 on top-name hotels across the country. Hotels Crockett’s campaigns paid for in the last quarter of 2025 included the Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Hotel Zaza, Kimpton and the five-star Los Angeles West Hollywood Edition.

Meanwhile, she spent a total of $11,738.60 on limousine and luxury car services in 2025. Her Senate and House filings show she spent $5,446.30 on Bay Area Lux Limos, based in California, and Detailed Drivers, a “white-glove” transportation service, in the last three months of the year.

SWALWELL IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER SPENDING OVER $200K IN CAMPAIGN CASH ON PERSONAL CHILDCARE: ‘SLIPPERY SLOPE’

By far the largest expense was private security, despite Crockett repeatedly calling to defund the police. Crockett paid close to $80,000 for security in 2025. A significant portion, $30,079.34, of those security costs came in the final quarter of 2025.

In 2021, while Crockett was serving in the Texas House of Representatives, she said, “The Defund movement seeks to actually bring about healing and finally invest in our communities to make them safer, addressing the root causes of crime and by allowing the professionals to do their respective jobs. Defund is about finally being smart on crime. Defund is about lightening the load for our offices of all things they didn’t sign up for. Defund is about finally being fiscally responsible when it comes to policing in this state.”

Since entering Congress in 2023, Crockett has emerged as one of the foremost Democratic voices, especially when it comes to criticism of the Trump administration and other Republicans.

She took heat in early 2025 for several inflammatory comments, including calling for then-Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk to be “taken down” and mocking Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is wheelchair bound, as “governor hot wheels.” In both instances, Crockett said that her comments were misinterpreted or taken out of context.

WHITE PROGRESSIVES CRITICIZING JASMINE CROCKETT’S SENATE BID NEED TO ‘SIT THEIR A– DOWN,’ SAYS LIBERAL HOST

During her Senate campaign, she has cast herself as the only candidate who has “gone toe-to-toe with Trump.”

During a recent debate with Democratic primary opponent state Rep. James Talarico, Crockett called for impeachment proceedings against Trump, saying, “I think that there is more than enough to impeach.”

She also recently likened Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign to Nazi Germany and accused the Supreme Court of sanctioning “modern-day slave patrols.”

Crockett joined more than 70 House Democrats in co-sponsoring articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for “systemic abuses of power, violations of civil and constitutional rights, and deliberate obstruction of congressional oversight.”

TEXAS DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S ‘MEDIOCRE’ COMMENT ROCKS RACE

“Secretary Noem has violated her oath and weaponized ICE against American communities,” said Crockett. “What we are witnessing is not public safety — it is state-sanctioned violence. It is unconstitutional, it is dangerous, and it demands accountability.”

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The Texas U.S. Senate primary election is on March 3. Whichever candidate emerges victorious will face off against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or Rep. Wesley Hunt in the November general election.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Crockett campaign for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump quipped during his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, “I don’t sleep on planes. I don’t like sleeping on planes. You know. I like looking out the window, watching for missiles and enemies, actually,” Trump said on Thursday, drawing laughter from the crowd. 

Trump joined the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning, which pulls together bipartisan lawmakers, business leaders and foreign dignitaries to reflect on faith and prayer for the nation. It was the sixth time Trump has attended the event since his first administration in 2017. 

The president has long been known to avoid sleeping while flying on Air Force One. His quip about looking for missiles came as he recounted first meeting Daniel “Raizin” Caine, who now serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about defeating ISIS during his first term.

TRUMP RETURNS TO NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST AS FAITH TAKES CENTER STAGE IN SECOND TERM

Caine told Trump that an area had been prepared for him to nap during the 20-hour journey, which Trump refused so the pair could discuss strategies to wipe out ISIS.

“I said, ‘What’s your first name?’ ‘Raizin, sir. They call me Raizin.’ And I say, ‘what the hell kind of a name is that? Right?’” Trump joked.  

HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING

“He’s brutal. Just ask Venezuela. Ask Iran. They’re negotiating now. They don’t want to. They don’t want us to hit them. You know, we have a big fleet going over to Iran. But so Razin was there at the bottom of the plane,” he said. 

Trump continued his speech by taking a victory lap for the strength of the U.S. military under his second term, including capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and striking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Two years ago, you couldn’t get anybody to go into the military. They laughed at you and they said they didn’t respect our country. They didn’t respect our president. They thought he was a joke. They thought our country was a joke,” Trump said. 

“Other countries laughed at us and took advantage of us with tariffs. And we weren’t allowed to charge, and they were allowed to charge. But we are allowed to charge, and I hope we get that Supreme Court decision, because we have taken in hundreds of billions of dollars of money.”

AIR FORCE ONE GLITCH REVIVES REPLACEMENT PUSH AS WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT ‘PROVES TRUMP WAS RIGHT AGAIN’

Trump also reflected on his faith and administration’s mission to protect religious liberty. 

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“They declared that all of us are made free and equal by the hand of our Creator,” Trump said of the Founding Fathers in 1776. “A lot of presidents refuse to say that. They refuse to say that. . . . Some refuse. Some major politicians refuse to say the word ‘God.’ They don’t want to say it. I say it, that we are endowed with our sacred rights to life, liberty, and not by government, but by God Almighty himself.” 

Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who is widely believed to have presidential ambitions, is facing a treacherous political decision as legislation is soon heading his way that will effectively ban local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE in the state. 

Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly approved legislation this week that would end 287(g) agreements, contracts that currently allow eight Maryland jurisdictions to work with federal immigration authorities in detention facilities and turn individuals over to ICE, Fox 45 Baltimore reported.

Moore, considered by many to be a moderate, has spoken openly about rejecting “partisan” politics and supporting law enforcement, putting him in a potentially difficult spot between the calls from the base of his party to reject ICE and the position of moderates in his party and independents who may support ICE’s core mission of deporting criminal illegal immigrants.

Moore has spoken out against ICE actions in recent weeks as the Trump administration faces mounting criticism for its immigration efforts following the deaths of two Minnesota residents after altercations with federal immigration authorities. 

MARYLAND GOV WES MOORE BRUSHES OFF TOP STATE DEMOCRAT’S WARNING ON REDISTRICTING POSSIBLY BACKFIRING

Moore spokesperson Rhyan Lake told Fox News Digital that the governor is “gravely concerned about ICE’s actions in Maryland and across the country under the Trump-Vance administration.”

Lake added, “Instead of focusing on violent offenders or public safety, the federal administration has created chaos and made communities less safe. The governor has made crystal clear: Maryland has no place for agents who are untrained, unqualified and unaccountable. As with any bill, he will review legislation as it comes to his desk.”

In September, Moore said he is “not running for president” in 2028 and is “excited” about serving a full term if he wins re-election in November, although many still believe he has presidential ambitions at some point in the future.

DHS FIRES BACK AFTER DEM BILLIONAIRE DAVID TRONE CLAIMS ICE IS ‘EXECUTING PEOPLE’

Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital that the Democratic Party could be making a mistake catering to the anti-ICE crowd when it comes to general elections. 

“These sanctuary laws are effectively part of a secessionist ideology and an open borders ideology,” Epstein said. “They pander to the progressive socialist left, but they are really bad politics for the party in a general election.”

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Epstein, who recently penned an opinion piece in the California Post titled, “How Democrats’ impossible ICE demands will grind enforcement to a halt,” warned that Democrats in general perhaps “don’t realize” that “open borders is class warfare against the working class, and that the violent protests in the streets of Minnesota are not just illegal, but they are secessionist in nature.”

“It’s time the Democrats woke up and smelled the coffee on this.”

Democratic leaders in Congress shared a list of 10 demands for reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, insisting they be added to the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., put forward the following demands in a letter to Republican leadership, arguing ICE has “has terrorized communities across the country.”

Targeted enforcement

Democrats say DHS officers must not “enter private property without a judicial warrant.”

SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING

“End indiscriminate arrests and improve warrant procedures and standards. Require verification that a person is not a U.S. citizen before holding them in immigration detention,” Jeffries and Schumer wrote.

No masks

“Prohibit ICE and immigration enforcement agents from wearing face coverings,” the pair demanded.

REP JEFFRIES ESCALATES RHETORIC AGAINST NOEM, SAYS DHS LEADER SHOULD BE ‘PUT ON ICE PERMANENTLY’

Require ID

Schumer and Jeffries say ICE agents should constantly display their agency, unique ID number and their last name during immigration operations. They should also “verbalize” their ID number and name if asked during an operation, the pair argue.

SEN RUBEN GALLEGO: I WON’T FUND A ROGUE ICE THAT SHOOTS FIRST AND CALLS IT LAW ENFORCEMENT

Protect sensitive locations

Jeffries and Schumer argue that federal funding should not be used to conduct immigration operations near “sensitive locations,” which they define as “medical facilities, schools, child-care facilities, churches, polling places, courts” and others.

Stop racial profiling

Top Democrats argue that DHS officers have been “conducting stops, questioning and searches based on an individual’s presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity.”

They say that must stop, and that decisions should be based on prior evidence.

DHS SECRETARY NOEM STANDS BY BODY CAMERA REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS FOLLOWING TRUMP COMMENTS

Uphold use of force standards

Democrats say ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection must operate under a more robust use of force policy, involving expanded training and certification for federal agents.

“In the case of an incident, the officer must be removed from the field until an investigation is conducted,” the pair argued.

Ensure state and local coordination and oversight

“Preserve the ability of State and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes and use of excessive force incidents,” the pair wrote. “Require that evidence is preserved and shared with jurisdictions. Require the consent of States and localities to conduct large-scale operations outside of targeted immigration enforcement.”

DEMOCRATS DEMAND KRISTI NOEM BE FIRED OR WARN IMPEACHMENT WILL FOLLOW

Build safeguards into the system

Schumer and Jeffries demanded that federal detention facilities “must abide by the same basic detention standards that require immediate access to a person’s attorney to prevent citizen arrests or detention.”

“Allow states to sue DHS for violations of all requirements. Prohibit limitations on Member visits to ICE facilities regardless of how those facilities are funded,” they wrote.

Body cameras for accountability, not tracking

The Democrats argue that federal agents must wear body cameras when interacting with the public.

They also say federal police should “prohibit tracking, creating or maintaining databases of individuals participating in First Amendment activities.”

No paramilitary police

“Regulate and standardize the type of uniforms and equipment DHS officers carry during enforcement operations to bring them in line with civil enforcement,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.

ILHAN OMAR DEMANDS IMPEACHMENT OF NOEM AMID DHS FUNDING BATTLE: ‘WE MUST ABOLISH ICE’

“Furthermore, there are steps that the Trump administration has the power to take right now to show good faith, including fully ramping down the surge in Minnesota and removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her position,” the pair wrote.

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“These are common sense solutions that protect constitutional rights and ensure responsible law enforcement,” they said.

White House border czar Tom Homan already announced a drawdown of 700 federal agents from the Twin Cities on Wednesday. Noem also ordered federal agents in Minnesota to start wearing body cameras.

FIRST ON FOX: A pro-life group is releasing a new report claiming abortions have continued to rise nationwide since 2020 because of a Biden administration FDA policy that allows abortion pills to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped by mail — a move the group says the Trump administration could reverse.

In a report obtained by Fox News Digital, the Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF) argues that a COVID-era FDA policy under former President Joe Biden is driving an estimated more than 500 mail-order chemical abortions per day, citing data from Guttmacher and WeCount.

The data also shows that chemical abortions now account for the majority of abortions, making up about 63% in 2023, a jump from 39% in 2017.

The report also estimates that there were roughly 170,000 additional abortions in 2024 than would have happened if the abortion rate had remained at 2019 levels.

“Since hitting a low in 2017, the national abortion rate has seen a persistent and troubling climb,” the report states. “In 2019, the last full year that abortion by mail was clearly illegal, there were an estimated 916,460 abortions. Using our estimate for 2024, the overall growth in abortion from 2019 to 2024 was 22 percent. Over the same window, the U.S. population grew by just 2.9 percent. Had the abortion rate remained steady from 2019, there would have been 171,103 fewer abortions in 2024.”

PRO-LIFE GROUP URGES SENATE TO PRESS RFK JR ON ABORTION PILL SAFETY, DEMAND SAFEGUARDS RETURN

The findings show abortion-by-mail made up roughly one in four abortions in the U.S. in the first half of 2025.

WeCount data cited in the report also shows an estimated 244,590 do-it-yourself abortions were facilitated by telehealth in 2024, including more than 120,000 pills sent into states where abortion was restricted or banned after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in 2022, giving the power to make abortion laws back to the states.

The Biden administration policy removed safety standards that required women to see a doctor to be prescribed mifepristone, allowing it to be prescribed through telehealth and sent by mail. The report argues that the FDA under Biden justified the change using limited studies and adverse-event data, despite most mandatory reporting requirements for mifepristone complications being removed in 2016 under the Obama administration. A research paper in 2021 additionally compared adverse-event data with Planned Parenthood data and concluded that the system is “inadequate” to evaluate the safety of mifepristone abortions.

“People are calling up and saying whatever they need to say to get the drug in the mail,” ROAF CEO Doug Truax said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “The point that we’re making is that abortions are on the rise dramatically; 874,000 in 2023, up to 1.1 million in 2024. Then on this trajectory, by the time President Trump leaves office, it’d be about 1.4 million a year. And so it’s largely driven by the drugs going out in the mail.”

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DROPS LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S MEDICAID CUTS

“There’s about 150 women a day that are being seriously harmed by this drug,” Truax continued. “So we need to get them to go see the doctor. The doctor needs to verify where they’re at with the pregnancy. Obviously, if it’s an ectopic pregnancy, it means they could take this drug, and they could die from it, which has happened. But there are all kinds of sepsis and rupturing and hemorrhaging and everything going on with this drug.”

“So there are two angles to this. We’re very pro-life over here. We want to go to zero abortions in the country. But the other angle is that this is a women’s health issue. So we need to decrease the number of abortions, and we need to basically save women from being harmed by this,” he added.

Truax also noted that states with higher populations are receiving the most abortion pills through the mail and that Democrat-led states have enacted shield laws preventing GOP-led states from taking legal action against providers.

DOJ WALKS BACK BIDEN-ERA ABORTION POLICY, BARS VA FROM FUNDING PROCEDURES

“For instance, Texas, they don’t have abortion anymore, but they sure do,” he said. “People think it’s down to zero. It’s not at all. It’s about where it was. So you have all these abortionists in, to name a few, Massachusetts and California. There’s dispensing organizations now around the country and around the globe that will mail these things out. They’re very active getting these abortion drugs into states that said, ‘We don’t want abortion here.'”

The FDA continues to keep the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone suspended — a safety rule that had been in place for roughly 20 years before Biden’s FDA permanently removed it following a COVID-era suspension.

The policy was met with legal challenges under the previous administration, but the Supreme Court allowed it to remain in effect after ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled the FDA’s action under Biden was likely “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Truax said the Trump administration has the authority to nix the policy, and urged the federal government to do so.

“I think that from a political standpoint, they’d rather not talk about it. But our point is, from a political standpoint, it’s going to start hurting. Pro-life Americans are really grateful to the president for the Supreme Court that we have, they got Roe thrown out, as it should have been a long time ago. But there’s more work to be done. We’re grateful for defunding Planned Parenthood. That’s great for a year. But the bottom line is, if the number of abortions is actually going up and there’s a step you could take to stop it, we got to do that,” he said.

HAWLEY BLASTS FDA APPROVAL OF NEW ABORTION DRUG, CITES SAFETY AND TRUST CONCERNS

“There’s a massive number of pro-life Americans that are base supporters of the president who may say, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve been in power for this entire time and the number of abortions keeps going up, and we could have stopped it,'” he added.

Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill and state officials have been calling on the Trump administration to take action.

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Last summer, more than 20 attorneys general urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to complete a safety review of mifepristone and consider reinstating safeguards or removing the drug from the market. Kennedy and Makary vowed to conduct a new review, but they have not released a timeline for the results.

“President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Commissioner Makary already have the tools at their disposal to reverse the legally and scientifically dubious decisions of the Biden Administration’s FDA and to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement. The Trump Administration must act swiftly to restore commonsense medical safeguards to the chemical abortion pill,” the ROAF report says.

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is urging key agencies in the Trump administration to recoup what he believes could amount to billions in Medicaid, SNAP and education expenses paid out to immigrants on the American taxpayer’s dime.

Banks, a first-term senator and conservative firebrand, argues that by law the sponsors of legal immigrants to the U.S. are required to reimburse the government for any welfare benefits used by their sponsee. Though written in law, the Immigration and Nationality Act, Banks said this has by and large not been carried out.

Under the Trump administration, however, he believes that can finally change.   

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and the commissioners of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, Banks asked the agencies to hold immigrant sponsors accountable and refund American taxpayers.

GOP SENATOR PUSHES TO CREATE ANTI-FRAUD SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD REVELATIONS

Banks cites a study by the Center for Immigration Studies that posit that illegal aliens alone cost American taxpayers an estimated $68 billion a year in public education costs, $42 billion in welfare, and $7 billion in medical treatment, which he said is “eclipsing the amount this group pays in taxes.”

Aside from the benefits paid out contrary to the law to illegal aliens, Banks said the government “may also be owed repayment for a large portion of lawful use.”

“It is the policy of the United States that aliens should not depend on public resources,” Banks wrote in the letter.

Despite this, Banks wrote that “most alien households receive means-tested [income-based] benefits,” such as Medicaid, SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

“The immigration laws do not tolerate this rate of government dependence,” he wrote, pointing to a portion of the Immigration and Nationality Act that he said ensures self-sufficiency “by mandating repayment for benefits received by certain non-citizens.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL

“Sponsoring relatives agree to reimburse the federal government for any means-tested benefit used by the alien before that alien becomes a citizen. This pledge is executed in a contract,” he wrote, adding that “pursuant to that contract, agencies that administer means-tested programs may seek repayment for benefits received while the alien was a non-citizen.”

For the largest source of legal immigration into the U.S., the family visa program, Banks said the contract can be enforced in court for ten years. There have been an estimated 3.5 million immigrants who have entered the country through the program since 2016.

Banks said that “no records can be found of federal agencies requesting reimbursement” for benefits to immigrants entering the program, indicating that “American taxpayers may well be owed a large amount of money.”

He asked the Trump administration to provide answers by March 1 on the total amount in means-tested benefits paid out to immigrants under these contracts and the amount the government has sought to have reimbursed. He also asked the administration to share its plans to enforce the contracts and lay out what steps agencies will be taking “to ensure that aliens do not become dependent on government support after entering the country.”

HOMAN ANNOUNCES DRAWDOWN OF FEDERAL PRESENCE IN MINNESOTA, HAILS ‘UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION’ FROM LOCAL POLICE

In response to the letter, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development told Fox News Digital that HUD “is exploring all options to hold alien sponsors accountable and protect the American taxpayer.”

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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture told Fox News Digital that “non-citizens who have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are not eligible to receive SNAP benefits unless they also have another immigration status that qualifies.”

The USDA spokesperson said “the rules governing eligibility for our programs, including SNAP, can be complex and often depend on multiple factors such as immigration status and other requirements.”

“For example, Haitian nationals granted TPS are not eligible for SNAP just because they have TPS. However, they may qualify if they also meet the definition of a Cuban and Haitian entrant (CHE) under Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education and Assistance Act of 1980,” they said, adding, “Individuals who are eligible based on their immigration status, such as being classified as a Cuban or Haitian entrant, must also satisfy other SNAP eligibility requirements such as income and resource limits.”

Meanwhile, Banks told Fox News Digital “this is about enforcing the law that’s already on the books.”

“Sponsors agreed to repay taxpayers if immigrants went on welfare, and the government needs to hold them to that promise,” he concluded.

President Donald Trump will attend the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday for his sixth appearance at the bipartisan gathering focused on faith and prayer for the nation.

“Today, President Trump will unite our country through the power of prayer at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has made unprecedented strides to protect our God-given rights and has delivered on his promise to reverse Joe Biden’s divisive policies that weaponized the federal government against men and women of faith. President Trump has secured major victories for religious freedom – from defending innocent life to restoring biological truth and protecting parents’ fundamental rights.”

Trump is expected to speak at 8:30 a.m. at the Washington Hilton at the event that typically draws hundreds of lawmakers, business leaders, state officials and foreign dignitaries.

This year, Fox News Digital learned notable attendees include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Mrs. Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Mr. John Wakefield, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Mrs. Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Mrs. Collins, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and Mrs. Greer, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

FAITH RETURNS TO THE PUBLIC SQUARE DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, CHRISTIAN LEADER SAYS

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, and Mrs. Denise Nyakero Tshisekedi are among foreign leaders who will attend the breakfast.

Musicians Michael W. Smith and Jelly Roll will also attend, Fox News Digital learned. 

Trump first attended as president in 2017 and returned last year, using his remarks to pledge action against what he called anti-Christian bias tied to the Biden administration.

“While I’m in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares, and we will bring our country back together as one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,” Trump said during last year’s event. 

Nearly a year ago to the day, Trump launched the White House Faith Office via Executive Order, tasking it with leading the executive branch’s outreach to faith-based groups, community organizations, and houses of worship. In honor of its one-year anniversary and the prayer breakfast, Fox News Digital learned the office launched a campaign showing “150 reasons why President Trump is the most pro-faith, pro-life, and pro-religious liberty president in American history.”

“He protected religious liberty and affirmed faith in America. He has fought anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and other forms of anti-religious bias while ending the weaponization of government against all people of faith. He has expanded school choice, protected parental rights, restored biological truth, uplifted families, ended illegal and divisive DEI policies, stopped taxpayer funding for abortion, restored free speech, and stood side-by-side with Israel,” the Faith Office said of Trump. 

The National Prayer Breakfast was established in 1953 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted an invitation to join members of Congress for what was then an early version of the event. The morning event is built around speeches and prayer, and historically features remarks from the president and other invited speakers. 

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS AMERICA’S CORE RIGHT. WE MUST DEFEND IT FOR KIDS AND PARENTS

Trump’s presence at the annual event comes as he increasingly discusses his faith and relationship with God following the assassination attempt against him in July 2024 that left him with an injury to the head when a gunman opened fire on a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. 

“There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way I felt very safe, because I had God on my side,” Trump said from the stage of the Republican National Convention just days after the attempt on his life. “The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight.”

TRUMP GETS IT: PRAYER ISN’T THE PROBLEM. SILENCING IT IS

President Donald Trump has elevated faith as a governing theme in his second term, including signing executive orders to create a White House Faith Office and issuing a proclamation urging Americans to renew their commitment to the country’s “Nation under God” identity.

“From the establishment of the Jamestown Colony to the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock, through periods of war and peace and through every challenge and every triumph, religious faith has indelibly shaped our character, informed our laws, and strengthened our national spirit,” a proclamation establishing “Religious Freedom Day 2026” on Jan. 16 reads. 

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“I pledge that I will never stop fighting to restore America as a Nation of prayer, a country of faith, and a radiant beacon of liberty and justice for all,” Trump’s recent proclamation continued. 

Eleven candidates are running in Thursday’s Democratic Party primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

The seat was left vacant after now New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning November’s gubernatorial election in the Garden State.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face off with Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the only Republican to file for the special election, which will be held on April 16.

The special election in a district that tilts towards the Democrats comes as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218-214 majority in the House of Representatives.

HOUSE GOP MAJORITY SHRINKS TO JUST ONE VOTE AS JOHNSON SWEARS IN NEW HOUSE DEMOCRAT

But the GOP may land a reinforcement before the general election for the open seat in New Jersey is held.

That’s because a special election is scheduled on March 10 in Georgia’s solidly right 14th Congressional District, in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The MAGA firebrand and one-time top Trump House ally a month ago stepped down from Congress a year before her term ended.

A whopping 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, are running in the Georgia showdown.

JOHNSON WARNS HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO ‘STAY HEALTHY’ AS GOP MAJORITY SHRINKS TO THE EDGE

According to Georgia state law, all the candidates will run on the same ballot. If no contender tops 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two finishers will take place on April 7.

Greene won re-election in 2024 to the seat by nearly 30 points and Trump carried the district, which is located in northwest Georgia, by 37 points.

While there’s a very crowded field in Thursday’s Democratic congressional primary in New Jersey, only a handful of the candidates have a possible shot at winning the nomination.

Among the frontrunners are former Rep. Tom Malinowski, an assistant Secretary of State in former President Barack Obama’s administration who represented the neighboring 7th Congressional District from 2018 to 2022 before being defeated by now-GOP Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.

Also in contention are former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, John Bartlett, a Passaic County commissioner, and Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer who is running as an outsider and is backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Sanders headlined a virtual rally for Mejia on the eve of the primary.

HOUSE GOP’S ALREADY FRAGILE MAJORITY TO FURTHER SHRINK AFTER DEMOCRATS’ BALLOT BOX VICTORY

The suburban district in northern New Jersey leans to the left, with Sherrill winning re-election in 2024 by 15 points, the same margin by which she carried the district in November’s gubernatorial showdown.

But then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by just eight points in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hopes of possibly flipping the seat.

There’s one more vacant seat in Congress, in California’s 1st Congressional District, following the recent unexpected death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa.

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A primary in the race to fill LaMalfa’s seat will be held on June 2, which is primary day in California. And the special general election will be held on Aug. 4.

The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican.

In passing the $1.2 trillion megabill to end the government shutdown Tuesday, lawmakers sent $4 million in funding to two children’s hospitals under investigation by President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for their track record of providing transgender healthcare to minors.

The allocations to Seattle Children’s Hospital in Washington state and the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago can be found in the $1.2 trillion package that funds several agencies, including HHS, that Trump signed into law Tuesday, ending the latest partial government shutdown.

The hospitals are among several the administration has put under a spotlight with HHS probes in Trump’s bid to halt “chemical and surgical mutilation” against minors.

CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL IN DC TO END GENDER TRANSITION MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

The $4 million in congressionally directed spending, Capitol Hill jargon for earmarks, was requested by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $3 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital, which did not respond to a request for comment on how the funding might be used.

Murray told Fox News Digital the funding was meant “to provide a safe and comfortable space for kids in crisis, kids who may seriously harm themselves or take their own life.”

“It has nothing to do with President Trump’s hateful crusade against transgender children,” Murray said. “It’s disgusting to see a witch hunt against funding for a project that enjoys broad support from across the community — all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, understand that we need more investments to tackle the mental health crisis in this country.”

The remaining $1 million is slated for Lurie Children’s Hospital, which paused its transgender care for minors amid the Trump administration’s ongoing investigation.

Durbin’s office told Fox News Digital, “Senator Durbin is proud to have secured $1 million for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to support the expansion of the new hospital-based violence recovery program, serving pediatric victims of violence with trauma-informed mental health and recovery services.

“We are fortunate to have the expertise of the professionals at Lurie Children’s applied to the complex challenges that too many children in Chicago are exposed to from community violence, child abuse, and mental health needs.”

When asked for Trump’s reaction to the $4 million in earmarks to the hospitals, White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital, “The American people gave President Trump a resounding mandate to restore common sense in America, and the Trump administration is exploring other tools to crack down on child mutilation procedures.”

Earmark spending — pork barrel spending as it’s often known — has long been a heated debate on Capitol Hill. The practice was banned for roughly a decade but reinstated a handful of years ago, with limits.

The earmarks for the hospitals are among several that fiscal hawks like Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blasted from the Senate floor last week.

“They do a lot, including spending on woke, wasteful and unjustified spending: puberty blockers for kids,” Lee said as he listed his opposition to a number of earmarks in the bill.

“We don’t need this; we don’t want this. It’s unacceptable. It must end.”

Some Senate Republicans have for years railed against earmarks, going so far as to permanently ban them within their own conference in 2019. Still, that ban does not encompass the entire Senate, and, ultimately, is more of an honor system among individual members.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, who oversees the process of putting together spending bills before they hit the floor, argued that earmarks, known as congressionally directed spending (CDS), are mostly requests made by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle tailor-made for a lawmakers’ state.

“Members of Congress understand the needs of our constituents far better than any well-intentioned federal employee located here in Washington,” Collins said on the Senate floor. “The CDS projects provide funding for states, communities and nonprofit organizations. The process is completely open and transparent.”

Seattle Children’s Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital have both drawn scrutiny from health officials as the Trump administration has taken a more critical stance against sex-change procedures and their effects on children.

After announcing that HHS would bar hospitals from performing sex-reassignment procedures on children, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. targeted Seattle Children’s Hospital’s access to Medicare and Medicaid programs.

201 HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE AGAINST BLOCKING MEDICAID DOLLARS FOR KIDS’ TRANSGENDER SURGERIES

“Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” Kennedy said in a press release in December.

A number of states, including Washington, have sued the Trump administration for its decision, arguing that HHS lacked the power to “substantively alter the standards of care and effectively ban, by fiat, an entire category of healthcare.”

Despite the ongoing litigation, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) opened a probe into Seattle Children’s activities in December.

The Lurie Children’s Hospital scaled back its transgender services in response to pressure from HHS earlier this year but has still come under recent scrutiny from the department.

HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart announced in a post on X last month that he had referred Lurie Children’s Hospital to OIG alongside four other hospitals for failing to protect “children from sex-rejecting procedures.”

In response, Lurie Children’s Hospital said it had paused its transgender care services for those under 18, according to statements made to local news outlets.

As listed on the earmarks, the $3 million in funding for Seattle Children’s Hospital would go toward “facilities and equipment to construct a behavioral health stabilization unit.”

The $1 million in funding for Lurie Children’s would go toward “health and trauma services for pediatric patients.”

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Neither hospital responded to a request for comment for more information on how that funding might be used or about their relationships with HHS.

Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Democrats’ border policies during a visit Wednesday to Nogales, Arizona, accusing the left of redefining “compassion” while leaving American communities to deal with crime, chaos and lawlessness.

Standing in front of the southern border wall, Noem discussed Biden-era immigration policies and their impact on the country’s overall safety and security.

“The Democrats on the left say that compassion was that invasion, was that humanitarian crisis,” Noem said. “But President [Donald] Trump says that compassion is taking care of people. Was it compassionate to make Americans share their communities with criminals? Was it compassionate to encourage men and women and children to break the law and to put their lives at risk, knowing that they could be victimized along the way?”

BEHIND THE SCENES: TRUMP AND WHITE HOUSE RALLY BEHIND NOEM AS ‘RADICALS’ DEMAND OUSTER

Noem’s remarks come weeks after anti-immigration enforcement riots broke out following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have continued to accuse the administration of trampling citizens’ constitutional rights by targeting minorities and weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding ICE leave the blue state.

Noem also addressed recent violence against federal immigration enforcement agents, questioning Democrats’ interpretation of compassion.

“Was it compassionate to demonize those federal law enforcement officers that took an oath to uphold the law and to keep Americans safe?” she asked. “Democrats dare to harass, threaten and dox our officers, assault the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security… and they try to say that enforcing our immigration laws and arresting and deporting illegal criminals and violent criminals is inhumane. Well, what about the victims of th[ose] illegal crimes?”

Noem added that Americans elected Trump for a second term to restore law and order.

“The beauty of our republic is that our people have the freedom to choose,” she said. “When they elected President Trump, they chose differently. They chose someone who recognized that a country with no border is no country at all. A country that doesn’t enforce its laws is a lawless country. We had never experienced the kind of chaos before in recent history that we saw during the Biden administration, and the American people rejected it.

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“They rejected it and its lawlessness and chose to return to law and order.… We’ve got a promise of a bright future and a promise of an amazing country for years to come. You have stood up, and stood on the line, to make sure that we have freedom and liberty for our children and our grandchildren for years to come.”

Alleged fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota’s social services systems have elevated scrutiny surrounding childcare centers. 

But fraud can be challenging to identify for states – especially when agencies are using outdated systems that make it difficult to spot trends and red flags that could point to potential fraud, according to Chris Bennett, the CEO and founder of Wonderschool, a platform that provides technology support to child care providers and states. 

“When you have all this data living in different place, it’s really difficult for a state to identify where there is risk and where there is fraud,” Bennett recently told Fox News Digital during an interview. “Additionally, a lot of states are using pen and paper still to collect information. So it makes it really difficult for an administrator and the administrator’s team to go through all of that and make sure that they’re keeping up with things on a regular basis.”

Streamlining systems is key to identifying any atypical trends in billing behavior and attendance data that could point to fraud, Bennett said.

TREASURY SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CASH REWARDS FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWERS

“The best practice is moving to a modern system, moving to a system where all of the data is in one place and it’s all connected,” Bennett said. “So you can use that to identify risk, flag unusual patterns early, and then have humans go and investigate. Oversight should support child care providers, not punish them.” 

To help do this, Bennett spearheaded Wonderschool Oversight in January – building upon Wonderschool’s existing partnerships with states including Florida, Michigan and West Virginia– that aims to centralize state agencies’ program data to evaluate enrollment, attendance, billing and licensing information in the same place. 

Having this information in one spot allows for Wonderschool Oversight to flag unusual patterns that could require human review, Bennett said.

GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL

“For example, we can analyze daily attendance data to flag cases where billed attendance exceeds recorded attendance,” Bennett said. “We review billing behavior for anomalies — such as sudden spikes in billing corrections — which can indicate potential issues. Or, in another example, we compare reported attendance against licensed capacity, age-band limits, and required staffing ratios to surface possible regulatory or safety violations.” 

Childcare fraud has come under a microscope after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley shared a video in December detailing alleged fraud involving Minnesota childcare and learning centers. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in January that it would put a hold on access to some federal childcare and family assistance funding for five states – including Minnesota – due to “serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs.” 

Days later, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from halting the funding freeze for at least two weeks. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment. 

That’s not the only alleged fraud scheme the state is facing. Lawmakers have spearheaded investigations into Minnesota’s alleged “Feeding Our Future” $250 million fraud scheme that allegedly targeted a children’s nutrition program the Department of Agriculture funded and that Minnesota oversaw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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At least 77 people have been charged in that scheme, which took advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive certain Federal Child Nutrition Program requirements.

Likewise, another alleged fraud scheme in the state stems from the Housing Stability Services Program, which allegedly offered Medicaid coverage for housing stabilization services in an attempt to help those with disabilities, mental illnesses and substance-use disorders receive housing.

Congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump and their shared base of support want to see voter ID legislation become law, but the last barrier is the Senate, where political reality has turned the notion into a pipe dream. 

The GOP’s legislative push to codify more requirements and restrictions surrounding voter registration nearly derailed Congress’ attempt to end the latest partial government shutdown on Tuesday. 

In an unlikely turn of events, like Senate Democrats’ push to save expiring Obamacare subsidies’ during the last funding battle and House Republicans’ desire to attach election integrity legislation, dubbed the SAVE America Act, to the Trump-backed package this week brought the issue back into focus. 

SCHUMER NUKES GOP PUSH FOR ‘JIM CROW-ERA’ VOTER ID LAWS IN TRUMP-BACKED SHUTDOWN PACKAGE

Trump, who encouraged House Republicans to stand down from their do-or-die demands, renewed his call to pass voter ID legislation while signing the funding package into law Tuesday.

“We should have voter ID, by the way,” Trump said. “We should have a lot of the things that I think everybody wants to see. Who would not want voter ID? Only somebody that wants to cheat.” 

While several Senate Republicans support what the bill could accomplish, they acknowledge the legislation would die on the floor without a handful of Senate Democrats, who nearly unanimously despise the move.  

“Democrats want to make it easy to cheat,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. “They don’t want to do anything to secure elections.”

The issue at hand, as has often been the case during Trump’s second term, is the 60-vote filibuster. The president has called on Senate Republicans to eviscerate it several times throughout the last year as the precarious threshold has time and again impeded his agenda. 

THUNE REJECTS TRUMP’S CALL TO NATIONALIZE ELECTIONS, WARNS DEMS TRIED THE SAME

Some Senate Republicans, including Johnson, are mulling turning to the precursor to the modern filibuster — the talking, or standing, filibuster.

The modern filibuster is less strenuous, literally, than the standing filibuster. While today’s standard requires that senators hit at least 60 votes, the standing filibuster demanded that lawmakers debate on the floor, consuming one of the Senate’s most valuable commodities — time.

“The only way that’s going to get passed is if we do a talking filibuster or we end the filibuster,” Johnson said.

There’s little appetite among Senate Republicans to nuke the filibuster given that it could play right into the desires of Senate Democrats, who tried and failed to modify the procedure when they controlled the upper chamber under former President Joe Biden. 

And many acknowledge that the votes simply aren’t there to do so. 

One Senate Republican told Fox News Digital that the “filibuster is not on the table” as pressure mounts to move on the SAVE America Act, but that the legislation would likely get a shot in the upper chamber and earn 51 Republican votes. But, the lawmaker contended, the question was what happened next in the likely event the bill fails.

The notion of turning to the standing filibuster, the physical and original version of the filibuster, was also swiftly sidelined by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who said while there was interest among Republicans to discuss the option, “there weren’t any commitments made.”

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES THREATEN EXTENDED SHUTDOWN OVER ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURE

Forcing the standing filibuster would come with its own ramifications in the Senate, given that the most valuable commodity in the upper chamber is floor time.

That’s because of rules that guarantee any senator gets up to two speeches on a bill. That, coupled with the clock being reset by amendments to the bill, means that the Senate could effectively be paralyzed for months as Republicans chip away at Democratic opposition.

“There’s always an opportunity cost,” Thune said.

“At any time there’s an amendment offered, and that amendment is tabled, it resets the clock,” he continued. “The two-speech rule kicks in again. So let’s say, you know, every Democrat senator talks for two hours. That’s 940 hours on the floor.”

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Still, some Republicans hope that the bill gets its moment in the Senate.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who was an original co-sponsor of the bill, told Fox News Digital he hoped it got a chance on the floor and contended that it was a “very important thing to do.”

“I don’t know,” Schmitt said. “I mean, we’ll never know unless it happens.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials have arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota since launching Operation Metro Surge in late 2025.

“President Trump’s commonsense immigration enforcement policies are delivering the public safety results the American people demanded, with more than 4,000 dangerous criminal illegal aliens already arrested in Minnesota since Operation Metro began,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital on Wednesday in response to DHS’ announcement. 

“Democrats opened our borders and allowed vicious criminals, including murderers, rapists, gang members, and terrorists, to invade our communities. President Trump is reversing that horrific damage and removing these threats from our country,” she continued.  

Operation Metro Surge is an ongoing immigration crackdown operation that focused on the Twin Cities, as well as Minnesota at large, as part of the administration’s ongoing mission to deport illegal immigrants, most notably violent offenders. 

GUN-WIELDING ICE AGENTS BRUSH BACK MINNEAPOLIS AGITATORS

DHS shared a handful of arrests made on Tuesday alone, including: a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador with a criminal history of sexual conduct with a minor and domestic assault; a criminal illegal alien from Honduras convicted of domestic abuse, disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated; a criminal illegal alien from Mexico arrested for assault/domestic battery, larceny, driving under the influence and possession of drugs; and a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of trespassing.

“Despite coordinated attacks of violence against our law enforcement, our officers have made more than 4,000 arrests of illegal aliens including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began,”  DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. 

“We need sanctuary politicians to cooperate with us by notifying us before releasing public safety threats back onto the streets to commit more crimes and create more victims. We will not back down from our mission to remove criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods.”  

Federal law enforcement converged on Minnesota in late 2025 and early 2026 as massive welfare and social services fraud schemes came to light. The schemes have led to dozens of arrests, most of whom are from the state’s large Somali population. 

CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY RAMS ICE VEHICLE IN MINNESOTA AS ATTACKS ON AGENTS SURGE

The immigration crackdown in the state sparked agitators and protesters to take to the streets, which included chaotic confrontations, including agitators storming into a church in the Twin Cities and disturbing Sunday services. Two Americans have been fatally shot amid protests by federal law enforcement in two separate cases in the Twin Cities, heightening criticisms against the Trump administration that the federal government allegedly had blood on its hands. 

President Donald Trump deployed border czar Tom Homan to the Twin Cities in January, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, to continue the operation.

The border czar announced Wednesday that 700 law enforcement officers would depart the city as he works for a “complete drawdown” of federal presence while local officials increasingly work with the administration. Most notably, local jails are communicating with federal officials regarding illegal immigrants currently in custody, allowing for speedy arrests at the jail as opposed to within communities. 

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: CONVICTED MURDERERS, CHILD SEX ABUSERS AMONG ILLEGAL ALIENS NABBED BY ICE ACROSS US

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets. Unprecedented cooperation,” Homan said Wednesday. “I’ll say it again: This is efficient, and it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target, rather than eight or 10 officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat.”

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Leavitt told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Homan’s drawdown plan follows the operation’s success in arresting the more than 4,000 illegal aliens from Minnesota. 

“At President Trump’s direction, Tom Homan’s commitment to draw down forces in Minneapolis today follows these achievements and the new, unprecedented cooperation from state and local officials in Minnesota. Commitments like these from elected officials to work with the president and federal law enforcement produce tremendous outcomes that help keep Americans safe,” Leavitt said. 

Brandon Scott, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, is facing questions about the taxpayer funds he uses for his transportation as well as social media pushback over a press conference where he suggested racism was a factor.

Scott, a progressive who has served as mayor since 2020, is facing pressure over a Fox Baltimore report showing his primary vehicle, a 2025 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, is the most expensive government-issued vehicle operated by any mayor, governor, county executive or county commissioner in the state, costing taxpayers $163,495. 

Scott has responded to the report, which claims his SUV costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state, by pointing to the cost of President Donald Trump’s “Beast” vehicle, arguing that inflation is not being factored in and suggesting politics are at play. 

Scott, after being pressed by a reporter in a back-and-forth exchange, called the question “idiotic” and part of a “right-wing” effort to discredit him. 

BALTIMORE MAYOR DOUBLING DOWN ON DEI WITH ‘DEFINITELY EARNED IT’ CAMPAIGN

“Just because you didn’t get the answer that you wanted in your racist slant, that’s one thing,” the mayor said.

Scott has championed himself as a fighter against the “status quo” as the city faces an $85 million budget deficit and has also been an advocate against climate change despite choosing a Jeep Wagoneer, a vehicle with modest gas efficiency at 14 MPG, to get around.

Scott’s exchange with the reporter made waves on social media from the mayor’s conservative critics.

GOP SENATOR’S ‘FEDERAL FUMBLES’ REPORT HIGHLIGHTS $240M SPENT ON TRANSGENDER RAT TESTING

“Mayor Scott could not defend using tax dollars to buy his luxury vehicle, so he called the reporter a racist,” Maryland Republican state Delegate Kathy Szeliga posted on X. “Classic deflection. His gas guzzling $165K Jeep Grand Wagoneer must be a sweet ride!”

“When a reporter simply asks about the outrageous cost? Scott immediately screams ‘racism’ and accuses the station of a ‘severe right-wing effort,’” social media commentator Officer Lew posted on X. “Classic deflection. Waste money, play the race card, dodge accountability. This is what happens when identity politics runs City Hall.”

“Cry racism to dodge the grift,” conservative commentator Brandon Tatum posted on X. “Unqualified virtue-signaler supreme.”

“Can’t make this up,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X.

Scott has repeatedly criticized the “old way” of Baltimore politics, which he associated with prioritizing image over substance.

“For too long, corrupt and inept leaders of this city have prioritized flashy, yet unsuccessful transportation options that have done nothing to substantially improve the safety and quality of our transportation network,” Scott wrote as a mayoral candidate in 2020. 

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital the 2020 quote has “no relevance whatsoever” to the city’s government vehicle fleet and is “clearly a response to a question about utilizing state and federal resources for Baltimore’s public transportation system.”

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The spokesperson also pushed back on the Fox Baltimore report, saying the vehicle was procured in February 2025 at a normal MSRP through the normal procurement procedure, and “the supplier contract was approved without incident by the Board of Estimates on September 18, 2024.”

“First, I want to clarify that the vehicle did not cost $163,495. That figure is the total project cost, which includes the cost of the vehicle and the cost of necessary safety modifications. As with any executive vehicle, which is utilized by the Baltimore Police Department’s Executive Protection Unit (EPU), the vehicle is required to be compatible with police operations. This means that the vehicle needed to be fitted with appropriate safety, security, and communications features (emergency vehicle lights, sirens, a microphone, etc.).

“According to best practices for reliability and safety, the City budgets to purchase a new mayoral vehicle every four years. This vehicle replaced a previous executive vehicle originally purchased in 2016. These vehicles are scheduled to be replaced every four years because they are used far more often through their official duties than an average personal vehicle; as such, they accumulate miles quicker and require more regular maintenance and replacement. Once the vehicles are replaced, the old vehicles are either repurposed for other official duties or sold at auction to ensure cost effectiveness.”

The spokesperson also pushed back on the reporting that the mayor’s vehicle is the most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state for an executive, saying the reporting “does not actually provide the evidence to fully support that assertion.”

“The story admits that they did not receive documentation from all jurisdictions in the state and utilizes comparisons to vehicles that are substantially older or from jurisdictions that work on a different vehicle replacement cycle or have different executive protection protocols. It also did not include context that the 2016 vehicle served beyond the standard replacement cycle,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson’s statement did not address Scott’s comment about a “racist slant.”

Democrats believe Bill and Hillary Clinton’s decision to appear before the House Oversight Committee will put to bed accusations of noncompliance with congressional investigations on Jeffrey Epstein while strengthening precedents related to subpoena power that Democrats could use down the line.

At the same time, lawmakers cast doubt that their testimony would provide answers that Republicans are looking for.

“I think House Republicans want this to be performative and a public show,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the No. 3 Democrat in the chamber, said.

“I think it satisfies the [subpoena] requirements … as long as they are indicating that they are willing to answer questions,” he added, referring to the congressional request compelling their testimony.

HILLARY CLINTON EXPECTED TO DEFY EPSTEIN PROBE SUBPOENA, RISKING CRIMINAL CHARGES

Republicans hope to learn more about the relationships Bill and Hillary Clinton may have had with Epstein, the disgraced financier who killed himself while incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking minors in 2019.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee for a deposition Feb. 26, while former President Bill Clinton will appear Feb. 27.

The Clintons’ decision to testify follows Republican efforts to hold them in contempt of Congress.

The Oversight Committee teed up contempt resolutions along bipartisan lines last month after the pair failed to appear for scheduled depositions in January. If put to the House and passed, the resolution would have referred the Clintons to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, and, if convicted, they could have faced a $100,000 fine and up to a year behind bars.

Notably, even a handful of progressive members of the “Squad” joined to support teeing up consideration of the contempt resolution, revealing bipartisan frustrations about their absence.

Aguilar said he believes the Clintons have now nixed that possibility.

BILL, HILLARY CLINTON RISK CRIMINAL CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER DEFYING HOUSE SUBPOENAS IN EPSTEIN PROBE

“If people receive a lawful subpoena, they should comply, and they should share [testimony],” Aguilar said. “There’s absolutely no way that contempt can move forward if they’re cooperating.”

He noted that the mere use of contempt resolutions to compel testimony might play into Democrats’ hands in the future.

“It sets an interesting precedent on who is subject to come into Oversight, and we will see what the next year holds for Trump Inc. and the Trump family,” Aguilar said, alluding to the requests Democrats might make if they hold a majority in 2027.

Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was one of the nine Democrats who voted to advance contempt considerations out of committee. He said that while he probably would have opposed the measure had it reached the floor, he had voted for it in committee, hoping to reinforce the congressional subpoena power.

“I think no matter who you are, if Congress wants you to testify, you should testify,” Frost said Wednesday.

Like Aguilar, he believes a new bar has been set by Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on whom the committee can request an appearance from.

“It sets new standards. It’s a new precedent that will follow for anyone — former presidents, their family, their spouse, whoever — depending on investigations that we do in the future,” Frost said.

CLINTONS AGREE TO TESTIFY AFTER HOUSE THREATENS CONTEMPT IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE

Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., a top Democrat in the House of Representatives, echoed his colleagues’ thinking on the Clintons’ compliance with the subpoenas.

“I think it’s a positive development. You know, they had a chance to look it over, and they made the choice that ‘I’ll come testify,’ and I applaud them for doing it,” Thompson said.

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“No,” Thompson said simply when asked if he expected their testimony to reveal new information about the pair’s relationship with Epstein. “I don’t think they have anything to be worried about. I look forward to hearing what they have to say.”

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is mounting a longshot Democratic primary challenge against his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, as she runs for re-election, is choosing a far-left politician with a history of legal and financial troubles as his running mate.

Delgado on Wednesday named former Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as his running mate, in an effort to beef up his support among progressives as he runs from the left against Hochul, a moderate Democrat.

“India Walton represents exactly the kind of transformational and morally courageous leadership New Yorkers are hungry for,” Delgado said in a statement. “She has never been afraid to challenge the status quo, stand up to powerful interests, and put working families first.”

Walton grabbed national headlines in 2021 by pulling off an upset victory over then-Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown in the Democratic primary. Her primary victory was seen as a sign at the time of the rise of the progressive movement. But she ended up losing in a landslide in the general election to Brown, who ran as a write-in candidate.

WHERE THE NEW YORK GUBERNATOIRAL SHOWDOWN STANDS IN THE POLLS

It was during that heated campaign battle that her past troubles, including a 2014 arrest, where she was charged with 2nd degree harassment, grabbed attention. Walton said at the time that the charge was due to a disagreement with a fellow student at a children’s hospital.

“When I politely told them I’d like to speak with them personally and handle the situation like adults, one claimed that they were threatened by me and feared for their life, despite the fact that I am 4’11’’ and was going on disability for surgery,” Walton told WIVB-TV.

The case was later dismissed in court.

A year later, Walton was ticketed for aggravated unlicensed operation following a traffic stop.

And Walton had two earlier legal controversies: the Erie County Department of Social Services brought a fraud case against her over food stamp assistance in 2003, and a year later, Walton and her then-husband appeared on a tax warrant issued by state officials, over unpaid back taxes. Documents show it took them five years to pay off the penalties and interest owed.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Delgado campaign for comment, but did not receive a response at the time this story posted.

TRUMP TAKES SIDES IN NEW YORK’S RACE FOR GOVERNOR

Delgado launched his bid for governor last June, in the rare instance of a lieutenant governor taking on a sitting governor.

His move to name Walton as his running mate will likely be overshadowed later this week if New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, endorses Hochul.

The governor backed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, last September as he battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race in the nation’s most populous city.

Politico reports that Mamdani will return the favor and endorse Hochul later this week.

The latest public opinion poll in the Democratic primary race, from Siena University, indicated Hochul with a massive 53-point lead over Delgado.

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Hochul has not yet announced who she’ll name as her running mate. The governor confirmed this week that she’s made a decision and will announce it by the end of Friday’s Democratic state convention in Syracuse, New York.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the all-but-certain GOP gubernatorial nominee.

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President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December, after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor.